Government announces new regulations for foreign media, Human Rights Watch calls for the new rules to be extended to Chinese reporters

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(HRW/IFEX) - The following is a Human Rights Watch press release:

China: Extend New Media Rules to Chinese ReportersLifting of Restrictions a Step Forward for Free Expression

(Washington, DC, October 22, 2008) - If fully implemented, Beijing's decision to permanently enshrine in law key provisions of its Olympics-related temporary regulations on foreign media could herald a less restrictive reporting climate in China, Human Rights Watch said today.

Announced on October 17, the new 23-point regulation signals the Chinese government's acceptance of basic reporting rights, including the freedom of foreign correspondents to interview any consenting interviewee without official permission, and creates a permanent measurable standard of foreign media freedom in China.

"This decision marks an important step forward in the battle for freedom of expression in China," said Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. "But the struggle will continue until all journalists - particularly Chinese journalists - have full freedom to report and exercise their rights under the Chinese constitution and international law."

The temporary regulations on foreign media freedom were originally in effect from January 1, 2007 to October 17, 2008. The Olympic rules had explicitly removed a long-standing regulatory handcuff of requiring foreign correspondents to secure government permission for interviews with Chinese citizens and for travel outside of Beijing and Shanghai. However, Human Rights Watch and other press freedom organizations extensively documented incidents of harassment, detentions, and physical abuse by government officials and security forces in violation of the temporary regulations ( http://china.hrw.org ). These abuses were not investigated, and the temporary regulations never applied to Chinese journalists.

Although Article 35 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China specifically guarantees freedom of the press, China's reporters remain hostage to the dictates of the official propaganda system. At least 26 journalists are in prison due to their work, many on ambiguous charges including "revealing state secrets," for having done nothing more than written or posted articles critical of China's political system.

Human Rights Watch pointed out that restrictions on and abuses of Chinese journalists are discriminatory in light of the new freedoms offered foreign media under the new permanent regulation on foreign media freedom.

"Particularly because reporting freedom can help bring to light public health, environmental, and corruption problems, we hope the Chinese government will see the wisdom of granting Chinese journalists the same rights as foreign reporters," Richardson said.

Human Rights Watch said that another important way to signal commitment to press reforms would be to investigate past violations of reporting rights, including death threats against foreign correspondents in the run-up to the Olympics. Beijing should also drop restrictive provisions in the permanent regulations which still require foreign correspondents to apply for official permission to visit certain areas in China, particularly Tibetan areas. Such restrictions have prevented the international community from having a complete understanding of events in the region in the aftermath of the violence which swept through the Tibetan capital of Lhasa in March 2008.

"Beijing's commitment to defending journalists' right to report will be unassailable when these new regulations are consistently upheld and finally extended to China's own growing domestic press corps," Richardson said.

For more of Human Rights Watch's work on media freedom in China, please see:

Based on extensive interviews with writers, poets, artists, activists, and others personally affected by the government’s grip on online expression, as well as interviews with anonymous employees at Chinese social media companies, the report lays bare the destructive impact of the Chinese government’s vision of “cyber sovereignty” on netizens who dare to dissent.

The general trend over the past 10 years has been bleak, with an overall negative trajectory for press freedom. The major turning point was the election of Xi Jinping as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China in 2012 and President of China in 2013.

Authorities tightened control over news dissemination channels, including social media and mobile-phone applications, and suspended permission for websites to repost content from the prominent news site Caixin.

Combining both violent and nonviolent methods, the Communist Party's policies are designed to curb the rapid growth of religious communities and eliminate certain beliefs and practices, while also harnessing aspects of religion that could serve the regime's political and economic interests.

Chinese authorities' enforced disappearance of critics from Hong Kong and other countries in 2016 garnered headlines globally. Beijing's decision to interfere in a politically charged court case in Hong Kong in November undermined judicial independence and the territory's autonomy. In the ethnic minority regions of Xinjiang and Tibet, Beijing continued its highly repressive rule, curtailing political activity and many peaceful expressions of ethnic and religious identity.

Dedicated internet users continued to employ circumvention technology and other creative tactics to defy and bypass restrictions on free expression. The government responded by increasing efforts to block circumvention tools, including through innovative cyberattacks and intimidation of software developers.

The 100-page report shows that Tibetan refugee communities in Nepal are now facing a de facto ban on political protests, sharp restrictions on public activities promoting Tibetan culture and religion, and routine abuses by Nepali security forces.

IFJ's report documents the continued deterioration of press freedoms in Mainland China, as well as Hong Kong and Macau. It takes its title in direct response to Chinese authorities adopting more repressive measures in 2013 reminiscent of the Mao era four decades ago, including direct censorship, Internet surveillance, abuse of legal process, harassment and intimidation, and televised confessions of journalists and bloggers without trial.

IFEX publishes original and member-produced free expression news and reports. Some member content has been edited by IFEX. We invite you to contact [email protected] to request permission to reproduce or republish in whole or in part content from this site.

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